XR & 3D

UI&UX

Motion & Play

About

YAMEI

LIAO

DESIGN

creative

Design for

impact

StillLife App

"An Art Community App - From offline art fair to online art community"

UIUX Design

Mobile

E-Commerce

Overview

Still Life App aims to provide an inclusive, friendly, diverse online community to support upcoming artists to expose their art online, and connect art enthusiasts with artists.

Timeline

Nov, 2023 - Jan, 2023 3 months

Tools

Figma, Illustrator, Cinema 4D, After Effect

Roles

UX Research, UI Designer, UIUX Designer

Team Size

3

Overview

About Still Life

「Still Life」is an innovative offline art fair organization with its convivial spirit targeting young artists and art enthusiasts in New York City. Its core value is to connect emerging young artists and art enthusiasts and provide a collaborative art community.

The Goal

Our "Still Life" App is designed to create an inclusive, diverse online community that is artist-friendly, supporting emerging talents in showcasing their artwork while also facilitating connections between art enthusiasts and artists.

Process Overview

Empathize

Background research Problem statement Competitor Analysis User Interview

Empathize

Background research Problem statement Competitor Analysis User Interview

Define

Problem Define Persona User Journey Map

Ideate

Storyboarding Brainstorming Sketches User Flow

Prototype

Wireframe (Lo-Fi) User Testing Style Guide HiFi-Prototype

Test

Usability Test Next Steps

How Might We

For art enthusiasts

How might we create a sustainable online art market and event integration platform?

For emerging young artists

How might we create a platform that encourage the art community to lively connect and support non-established artists to promote their artworks and gain exposure?

Competitive Analysis

Harness the immense power of advanced AI algorithms to effortlessly create high-quality content in record time.

Harness the immense power of advanced AI algorithms to effortlessly create high-quality content in record time.

Image and media Integration
Image and media Integration

Research Insights

Harness the immense power of advanced AI algorithms to effortlessly create high-quality content in record time.

Harness the immense power of advanced AI algorithms to effortlessly create high-quality content in record time.

We can focus on small artists in all categories, who are less known and need more opportunities for exposure.

We can build online platform focuses on idea of communities.

We can create a collective information platform for all kinds of art and crafts.

We can target the younger audience/buyers with more affordable artworks.

Content generation

User Interview

We interviewed artists and art enthusiasts (buyers). Through the interview, we want to gain insights for these main questions:

We interviewed artists and art enthusiasts (buyers). Through the interview, we want to gain insights for these main questions:

How can we clarify the needs of both artists and buyers for an online art market?

How can we connet artists and art enthusiasts within an online art community?

Artists

Scarlet

25

Ceramic Artist/ Film Maker

New York City

“it is hard to promote yourself on platform like Instagram if you are a small artist. People can't find you."

“As a young artist, I like to chat with artists in different fields and learn from them. I'd like a friendly online community that encourages communication."

Scarlet

25

Ceramic Artist/ Film Maker

New York City

“it is hard to promote yourself on platform like Instagram if you are a small artist. People can't find you."

“As a young artist, I like to chat with artists in different fields and learn from them. I'd like a friendly online community that encourages communication."

Yuyang

21

Ceramic Artist,Tatoo Artist

New York City

“I'm busy with school, so I would not search through different platforms for art event information. I'd like to have a platform that collects all the info about different art events for me."

Yuyang

21

Ceramic Artist,Tatoo Artist

New York City

“I'm busy with school, so I would not search through different platforms for art event information. I'd like to have a platform that collects all the info about different art events for me."

Art Enthusiasts - Buyer

Lynette

26

Jewelry Designer

New York City

“I would want a platform with more comprehensive information on the events and booking."

“It would be great if there is an exchange platform for my art collection so I can get new pieces and know people with similar tastes."

Lynette

26

Jewelry Designer

New York City

“I would want a platform with more comprehensive information on the events and booking."

“It would be great if there is an exchange platform for my art collection so I can get new pieces and know people with similar tastes."

KK

24

Digital Social Media Grad Student

Los Angeles

“I constantly buy a lot of designed goods, but after a while, I'm over the passion and I want new ones."

“I don't really like to have conversations with artists when doing in-person shopping, but I still want to chat with them online to know about the art."

KK

24

Digital Social Media Grad Student

Los Angeles

“I constantly buy a lot of designed goods, but after a while, I'm over the passion and I want new ones."

“I don't really like to have conversations with artists when doing in-person shopping, but I still want to chat with them online to know about the art."

User Persona

Based on the insights we gained from our user interviews, we defined the two types of our target user's personas. An emerging artist user and an art collector buyer.

Artist

Kelly

Kelly

22, Bachelor of Fine Arts

New York City

Dedicated

Assertive

Energetic

Open-minded

Creative

Independent

"I am a young artist who's looking for a more embracing community to connect with more artists, get exposure, and make profit easily online."

About

About

Kelly is a fine arts student at SVA. She loves explore arts in different fields, and experimenting. Making ceramics is her comfort zone and her relaxing avocation. She always learn from other artists and become better. She wants to be able to make profit in the local art scene by doing what she likes to do in art and blend in the art community.

Frustrations

Frustrations

  • Connect with artists from different categories and feel included in the local art community.

  • Have a broader reach of customers for selling her artwork,

  • Attend more art fairs and events to gain exposure.

  • Get art news and event notifications in time for applications.

Goals

Goals

  • Connect with artist from different categories and feel included in the local art community.

  • Have a broader reach of customers for selling her artwork.

  • Attend more art fairs and events to gain exposure.

  • Get art news and event notifications in time for applications.

Frequently Used App

Frequently Used App

Curator

Nikki

Nikki

24, Curator & collector

New York City

Dedicated

Social

Energetic

Passionate

Creative

Innovation

"I believe art is another expression of life, and I enjoy the moments and emotions that it brings. This is the power of art."

About

About

Nikki is a grads student studying art management at NYU and working as an art curator in a gallery in NYC. She likes to follow the newest art fair trends and antique shops, and collect some special art and craft pieces. As a curator, she always get inspiration from different artists.

Frustrations

Frustrations

  • Don't know how to connect or explore the artists she likes.

  • Struggle with finding high quality art events and local art community.

  • Hard to deal with the extra art pieces brought before.

  • Hard to track down all the events when too busy.

Goals

Goals

  • Find comprehensive art events info on one central platform.

  • Easy to access and connect with more artist online.

  • Have an art community that can share and communicate with art lovers and artists.

  • be able to trade old items with other art people for new ones.

Frequently Used App

Frequently Used App

User Journey Maps

Based on the focus of the two user personas we have created, we conducted corresponding user journey maps on our users. Artist users focus on the event experience, and non-artist users focus on the art shopping experience.

The artist's journey map is centered around the event experience, emphasizing their journey in discovering, participating in, and benefiting from art events through the Still Life App.

The non-artist user journey map is focused on the art shopping experience, outlining their journey in exploring, selecting, and purchasing artwork seamlessly within the app, fostering a user-friendly and engaging platform for art enthusiasts.


Problems Define

Based on the research we did on both artists and art enthusiasts, we defined these following problems:

01

There is no collective platform that has comprehensive event information for both artists and art enthusiast.


02

Small artists don't have a specific art platform to gain exposure online.


03

There is no inclusive online art community for artists and art enthusiasts to connect.

04

There is no platform that includes diverse kinds of art craft and art related second-hand trading.

Ideate

Design Implications

Crazy 8's

We used Crazy 8's as a method of brainstorming to generate a wide variety of solutions for our design. Each member drew 8 brainstorming ideas of the app, along with some sketches.

We used Crazy 8's as a method of brainstorming to generate a wide variety of solutions for our design. Each member drew 8 brainstorming ideas of the app, along with some sketches.

Storyboards

Three user scenes

Scheduling

Scheduling

Scheduling

Artist Art Craft Sell

Artist Art Craft Sell

Artist Art Craft Sell

Second-hand Trading

Second-hand Trading

Second-hand Trading

Potential Functions

Event Signup

A collective platform for users to obtain event informations efficiently, including user booking and artist signup.

Art Explore

A platform to promote diverse artists, allow users to explore their art and provide AR virtual viewing of products.

Art Trading

A sustainable platform where all user can post and trade their owned art pieces with others.


Art Community

A friendly, embracing environment for online communications among artist and art enthusiast, direct chat and view other's activities.


Prototypes

Prototype and 1st User Testing

Sketches and Paper Wire Frames

After brainstorming for our MVPs, we picked one of them (Art Explore) to create a series of Low Fidelity paper prototypes. This step helped us to draft the initial look of our app and test it with potential users in reality to get feedback and foresee some problems before further designing.

After brainstorming for our MVPs, we picked one of them (Art Explore) to create a series of Low Fidelity paper prototypes. This step helped us to draft the initial look of our app and test it with potential users in reality to get feedback and foresee some problems before further designing.

First User Testing

After doing sketches prototype, we asked 2 people to do the user testing. This step is to help us understanding our design, improve with better user experience in the final wireframe and user flow.

After doing sketches prototype, we asked 2 people to do the user testing. This step is to help us understanding our design, improve with better user experience in the final wireframe and user flow.

Testing Conclusion

After doing sketches prototype, we asked 2 people to do the user testing. This step is to help us understanding our design, improve with better user experience in the final wireframe and user flow.

After doing sketches prototype, we asked 2 people to do the user testing. This step is to help us understanding our design, improve with better user experience in the final wireframe and user flow.

MVP User Flow

Artist Exclusive

Artist Exclusive

Non-artist Exclusive

Non-artist Exclusive

Shared Experience

Shared Experience

Decision

Decision

LOFI Wireframe

Style Guide

Colors

Visual Identity

Stilllife App Icon

Stilllife App Icon

Typographys

Iconography

Explore

Shop

My Events

Trading

Profile

My Events

Explore

Explore

Prints

Ceramic

Fashion

Homeware

Tufting

Paintings

Paintings

Paintings

Hi-Fi prototype demonstrates each scenario that helps artists and art enthusiasts meet their goals.
Hi-Fi prototype demonstrates each scenario that helps artists and art enthusiasts meet their goals.
Hi-Fi prototype demonstrates each scenario that helps artists and art enthusiasts meet their goals.

#1
Onboarding Experience

#1
Onboarding Experience

Two types of user onboarding

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.

#2
Event Booking for General User

#2
Event Booking for General User

Our event booking process is user-centric and efficient. The Explore page suggests events based on location and interests, while showcasing featured artists. The Event Detail page provides all event information, including time, location, friends attending, event description, featured artists, photos, and user reviews. Users can easily book events from this page.


#3
Artist Application

#3
Artist Application

Two types of user onboarding

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.

#4
Shopping for Arts

#4
Shopping for Arts

Two types of user onboarding

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.

#5
Trading for Arts

#5
Trading for Arts

Two types of user onboarding

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.

Hi-Fi prototype demonstrates each scenario that helps artists and art enthusiasts meet their goals.
Hi-Fi prototype demonstrates each scenario that helps artists and art enthusiasts meet their goals.
Hi-Fi prototype demonstrates each scenario that helps artists and art enthusiasts meet their goals.

Two Types of Onboarding Experiences

# 1-1
Onboarding experience - Art Enthusiasts (non-artist user)

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.

# 1-2
Onboarding Experience - Artist user

As for artist users, you will need to fill out the basic information for Still Life to verify your artist identity. Once the artist's identity is confirmed, the artist user will be able to explore the community.


As for artist users, you will need to fill out the basic information for Still Life to verify your artist identity. Once the artist's identity is confirmed, the artist user will be able to explore the community.


# 2
Event Booking - Art Enthusiasts (non-artist user)

For art enthusiast users, the Explore page suggests events based on location and interests, while showcasing featured artists. The Event Detail page provides all event information, including time, location, friends attending, event description, featured artists, photos, and user reviews. Non-artist users can easily book events from this page.


For art enthusiast users, the Explore page suggests events based on location and interests, while showcasing featured artists. The Event Detail page provides all event information, including time, location, friends attending, event description, featured artists, photos, and user reviews. Non-artist users can easily book events from this page.


# 3
Event Application - Artist Users

Artist users can choose whether they want to book an event or apply as one of the event vendors on the Explore page. Event application requirements will be listed below, StillLife will require the artist's personal information and portfolio to be submitted for review.


Artist users can choose whether they want to book an event or apply as one of the event vendors on the Explore page. Event application requirements will be listed below, StillLife will require the artist's personal information and portfolio to be submitted for review.


# 4
Shop for Artworks - all Users

All users can access the Shop page, which shows daily recommended art products based on the user’s interest. Users can view product details, artist's profile, product images, and AR functions. Chat is also available with artist for further information.


#5
Trading for Arts

#5
Trading for Arts

Two types of user onboarding

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.

Whether you're an artist or not, our onboarding is simple and inclusive. Non-artists can choose their user identity or sign in with Google/Facebook. Artists verify their identity for quality assurance, receiving confirmation via email. Before verification, artists can explore the app as non-artists.